SALT LAKE CITY — Stars from the hit TV show “MythBusters” and “White Rabbit Project” are coming to Utah on Saturday, Nov. 18, for their live show “Down the Rabbit Hole.”
“MythBusters” alumni and live show co-hosts Kari Byron, Tory Belleci and Grant Imahara spoke to the Deseret News ahead of their Salt Lake City performance, clearing up questions about the upcoming show and confirming there wouldn’t be any explosions Saturday night.
“We’ve been told ‘no explosives,’” Imahara said.
The information came as a disappointment to the three co-hosts who have been known for blowing stuff up on TV for the past 14 years.
Belleci said, “Just the fact that we even mentioned the word ‘explosives’, the insurance company freaked out.”
Both “MythBusters” and Netflix's “White Rabbit Project” featured prominent explosions, and although pyrotechnics won’t be seen on the theater stage, the trio was quick to point out “Down the Rabbit Hole” will still exhibit a swath of bold and daring experiments.
“Don’t worry, there will be some dangerous things,” Byron said. “If we all make it out with all our fingers, we’re probably doing pretty well.”
Byron said “Down the Rabbit Hole” carries on the same spirit of curiosity and ambition that made the trio’s TV shows popular.
“It encompasses every show that we’ve done for the past decade and a half,” Byron said. “It’s just a good time. It’s the closest you’re going to get to having the true ‘MythBusters’ experience.”
The trio will also showcase behind-the-scenes footage and special clips of how they got started in the business, and how they made their way through “MythBusters” and into the Netflix show “White Rabbit Project.”
Along with the experiments and behind-the-scenes footage at the live show, the three were especially excited about selecting a few audience members — Byron called them “guinea pigs” — to participate on stage.
Imahara promised these chosen few would remain in one piece by the end of the show.
“The people who come on stage, we’re not going to hurt them,” Imahara said with a chuckle. “We’re just going to use them for science — like crash-test dummies," he joked.
Imahara said he has enjoyed working live on a stage instead of filming in a garage. He said bringing up volunteer participants is helpful to putting on a great show and having immediate feedback from the audience is a great benefit.
“When we were filming “MythBusters” and “White Rabbit Project,” we were basically in our shop making things, and the camera was our audience,” Imahara said. “So we didn’t have anybody to laugh at our jokes (except for) each other.
“But with the live show, there’s all kinds of interaction. We bring people up on stage. We talk to them. We make them a part of our experiences.”
Byron said despite the benefits, there is always a level of uncertainty that comes with doing live shows.
“We don’t have editors to cut it out when things go wrong,” Byron said.
Imahara agreed. “There’s no guarantee that everything’s going to go perfectly all the time during a live event,” he said.
But, just like in “MythBusters,” Belleci rehearsed the famous tagline, “Failure is always an option.”
The hosts' favorite "Mythbusters" experiments:
Tory Belleci: Cement Truck Explosion
Kari Byron: Luxury Car Drop
Grant Imahara: Bull in a China Shop
If you go …
What: "Down the Rabbit Hole"
When: Saturday, Nov. 18, 8 p.m.
Where: The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater, 131 Main St.
How much: $30-$165
Phone: 385-468-1010
Email: jhale@deseretnews.com